Novelty rocket powered toy vehicle

ABSTRACT

A rocket powered toy vehicle includes a vehicle body to which a multiplicity of wheels are mounted, the vehicle body mounting a rocket motor. The rocket motor includes at least a pair of side-by-side thruster units for propelling the toy vehicle along a supporting surface. The thruster units may be connected by a coupling member which carries a fuse for substantially simultaneous ignition of the thruster units and facilitating insertion and removal of the rocket motor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a novelty rocket powered toy vehiclehaving a removable rocket engine. More particularly, it concerns arelatively inexpensive toy and a replaceable rocket engine which, whenmounted, extends from the vehicle to avoid burning the toy, permits easyinstallation and removal, and provides dual rocket motors withsubstantially centerline thrust fusably ignitable to provideside-by-side thrusting of the toy.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Toy vehicles of various types are well known to those skilled in the artwhich have a variety of propulsion systems. Such propulsion systemsinclude gasoline or electric motors which are relatively expensive andinclude remote control mechanisms. On the lower end of the cost scale,novelty products have been developed within the fireworks industry whichare self-contained, disposable items made of paper or the like andclassified as consumer fireworks. Between the controllable gasoline andelectric, toy vehicles on the one end, and the small disposable toyvehicles commonly made of paper or the like is a fairly largedistinction in technology, reliability and consumer interest.Accordingly, there has developed a need for a simple and economical, yetfairly reliable and entertaining, rocket-powered vehicle, andparticularly one which may be powered by consumer class fireworks rocketmotors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object and others has largely been met by the novelty rocketpowered toy vehicle of the present invention. That is to say, the toyvehicle hereof is simple and straightforward in design, while providingan ability to removably receive rocket motors so that spent motors canbe discarded and replaced in the vehicle, and not requiringsophisticated ignition systems.

Broadly speaking, the present invention includes a toy vehicle havingwheels which are not themselves powered but mounted for rotationrelative to a vehicle body, with the body having a cavity configured toremovably mount a rocket motor having an ignitable fuse. The cavity ispositioned and oriented along the centerline of the vehicle body toprovide substantially centerline thrust. The cavity is also configuredand positioned to complementally receive the rocket motor only partiallytherein, such that a portion of the rocket motor extends outside thecavity.

More preferably, the rocket motor may be provided with side-by-sidethruster units. The, thruster units may be connected by a coupler tohold them in substantial alignment and facilitate mounting and removalfrom the toy vehicle, as well as further insulate the heat at the endsof the thruster units from the user. Most advantageously, the couplerincludes a pair of openings aligned with the open ends of the thrusterunits to thereby serve as nozzles to direct the burning gasses rearward,and a center port for permitting the passage of an ignitable fusetherethrough. Moreover, the rocket motor preferably includes a singlefuse for ignition but which is oriented to ignitably interconnect thethruster units for ignition in common and, to the extent practical,substantially simultaneous ignition. The fuse is most preferably carriedby the coupler and need not extend into the interior of the thrusterunits, but rather is located sufficiently proximate propellant at theopen end of the thruster unit to provide ignition to the propellant.

The novelty vehicle advantageously provides a plurality of coupled,side-by-side thruster units whereby if one thruster unit fails toignite, ignition of the second thruster unit maintains entertainmentvalue. Moreover, by providing the propellant in separate thruster units,the hazards associated with ignition of a larger common charge areavoided. The cavity of the vehicle body provides sufficient stability tothe rocket motor alignment so that the rocket motor does notsignificantly shift, and the coupler directs the thrust rearwardly awayfrom the vehicle body to avoid damage caused by heat. By using consumerclass fireworks rocket motors, the novelty vehicle can be repeatedlyused without significant expense or difficulty in operation.

These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art with reference to the drawings and description which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left rear perspective view of a rocket powered toy vehiclein accordance with the present invention, showing a rocket motorinserted into a chamber at the rear of the vehicle with the couplingmember of the motor extending rearwardly therefrom;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary exploded view of the rocket motor ofthe present invention, showing the coupling member nozzle openingsaligned with the discharge openings of the thruster units and passage inthe coupling member for receiving the fuse therethrough; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, top plan view in partial cross-section of therocket motor of FIG. 2, showing two side-by-side thruster units heldtogether by the coupling member with the fuse extending between thedischarge outlets and the nozzle openings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, a novelty rocketpowered toy vehicle 10 in accordance with the present invention broadlyincludes a vehicle body 12, a plurality of road wheels 14 rotatablymounted to the vehicle body for permitting the toy vehicle 10 to rollatop a supporting surface 16, and a rocket motor 18. The rocket motor 18is configured to be removably mounted to, and extend rearwardly from thevehicle body 12, so that it may propel the toy vehicle along asupporting surface and; upon completed combustion of the solid fuelrocket motor 18, the rocket motor 18 may be replaced by another,substitute rocket motor 18 for rapid reuse without the need for tools.

In greater detail, the vehicle body 12 is preferably molded of plasticmaterial and may be provided in separate component parts, such as anupper shell 20 and a lower chassis 22. The shell 20 may be glued,snap-fitted or attached using screws or other threaded fasteners toassemble the vehicle body. The vehicle body 12 has a forward end 24 anda rearward end 26, and a longitudinal axis A which extends from theforward end 24 to the rearward end 26 along the centerline of the toyvehicle 10, centered between the road wheels 14. The longitudinal axis Asubstantially defines, or is at least substantially parallel to, theintended direction of travel of the toy vehicle 10. The vehicle body 12also includes a left side 28 and a right side 30. The vehicle body 12defines an opening 32 at the rearward end 26 thereof, and furtherdefines a chamber 34 extending forwardly therefrom. The vehicle body 12surrounds and defines the chamber, which is of a shape complemental tothe rocket motor 18 to resist transverse, i.e. side-to-side movement, ofthe rocket motor 18 when inserted into the chamber 34. A stop member 36,such as a wall, is a part of the vehicle body 12 located forward of theopening 32.

The road wheels 14 are located outboard of the longitudinal axis A andpreferably proximate the left side and right side of the vehicle body.The road wheels 14 are carried by axles 38, shown in phantom lines inFIG. 1, which are snap fitted or otherwise rotatably carried by thevehicle body 12, to permit the road wheels 14 to roll along thesupporting surface 16. The road wheels 14 may be inexpensively formed ofnatural or synthetic rubber, synthetic resin, or other suitablematerials known to those skilled in the art. In addition to road wheels14, which rotate about the generally horizontal axles when placed on asupporting surface, the vehicle body 12 also preferably includes aplurality of guide wheels 40. The guide wheels 40 are positionedrelatively forwardly and rearwardly, respectively, of the forward end 24and the rearward end 26, and further are preferably positionedrelatively outboard of the left side 28 and right side 30 of the vehiclebody. The guide wheels 40 are supported by outriggers 42 formed as partof the vehicle body 12, and rotatably carried by individual upright stubshafts 44 carried by the outriggers 42. The stub shafts 44 define theaxes of rotation for each of the guide wheels 42, such that each of theguide wheels 40 lie in a generally horizontal plane and rotate about anupright axis perpendicular to the axles 38 defining the axes of rotationof the road wheels 14.

The rocket motor 18 is provided as a consumer fireworks item, also knownas a class C firework in accordance with guidelines established by theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Each rocket motor 18 includesat least first thruster unit 46 and a second thruster unit 48, which arepositioned in side-by-side relationship, and preferably a couplingmember 50 for holding the two thruster units together. The thrusterunits 46 and 48 each include a casing 52 which includes a circumscribingcasing wall 54, a normally forwardly oriented closed end 56, and anormally rearwardly oriented discharge outlet 58. Each thruster unitalso includes a propellant charge 60 positioned within the casing 52 andextending rearwardly to communicate with the discharge outlet 58forpermitting ignition of the propellant charge 60 by an external fuse62. The propellant charge 60 is preferably a conventional black powder,potassium perchlorate, sodium salicylante, sodium benzoate, andcombinations thereof, or equivalent rapidly burning or explosivematerial commonly used in consumer fireworks as noted above, and thepropellant charge for each of the thruster units 46 and 48 is 250 gramsor less, for a total propellant weight of the rocket motor 18 to 500grams or less to limit the potential thrust and to ensure that therocket motor 18 is considered a class C or consumer fireworks item. Morepreferably, the propellant charge 60 may be about 2 grams or less inweight for each of the thruster units 46 and 48, and most preferably thepropellant charge 60 of each of the thruster units is about 1.81 grams,of which 0.01 gram is black powder or its equivalent material forencouraging initial ignition, and 1.8 gram is a whistle effect which inaddition to providing an audible whistle when ignited, also provides apropulsive effect as part ofthe propellant. The whistle effect componentmay be, for example, potassium perchlorate about 70% by weight andpotassium benzoate about 30% by weight.

The coupling member 50 is preferably molded of synthetic resin material,is mounted over the discharge outlet 58 of each ofthe thruster units 46and 48, and extends rearwardly therefrom. The coupling member 50 may beglued using a suitable adhesive to the casing 52 of each thruster unit46 and 48 so that the rocket motor 18 is a unitary, one-piece member inuse. The coupling member 50 may be wrapped in paper which may be printedto provide any information desired to be conveyed to the user, such as,for example, a message in the nature of “insert it into the car” or thelike. The coupling member 50 is provided with an open front end 64 intowhich the thruster units 46 and 48 are inserted, a circumscribingbelt-portion 66 which may include an, axially extending ridge 68extending inwardly into the coupling member for snugly receiving thethruster units, and a back end 70. The back end 70 includes a pair ofnozzle openings 72 and 74 which are aligned with the discharge outlets58 of the thruster units 46 and 48.

As may be seen in FIG. 3, when the thruster units 46 and 48 are fullyinserted and seated into the coupling member, the belt portion 66extends forwardly from the back end 70 apart of the length of thecasings of the thruster units. In addition, the transverse dimensionslaterally across the coupling member 50 and a top- to-bottom dimensionare both greater than the corresponding dimensions transverse andtop-to-bottom of the opening 32 for the chamber 34, such that thecoupling member 50, when assembled to the thruster units 46 and 48, maynot pass through the opening 32 and enter the chamber 34. Thus, therocket motor 18 is mounted to the vehicle body 12, the coupling member50, as well as the discharge outlets 58 of each of the thruster units 46and 48, extend rearwardly from the opening 32 such that the dischargeoutlets 58 and the nozzle openings 72 and 74 are located rearwardly ofthe vehicle body 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The nozzle openings 72 and74 are sized complementary to the transverse dimensions of the dischargeoutlets 58 and aligned therewith to permit a substantially free,unresticted flow of combustion gasses rearwardly upon ignition. Thecoupling member 50 further includes a passage 76 through the back end 70which is positioned between the nozzle openings 72 and 74 to permit theignitable fuse 62 to pass therethrough. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, thefuse 62 is a conventional twisted paper or fabric fuse having a blackpowder coating to facilitate rapid burning, and extends through thepassage 76 rearwardly to allow for access for ignition. The fuse 62extends forwardly through the passage 76 and then is bent or routed in atransverse direction so that it lies across the discharge outlets 58 ofeach of the thruster units 46 and 48. The propellant charge 60 extendsforwardly from the closed end 56 of each thruster unit 46 and 48 to thedischarge outlet 58 thereof, so that the propellant charge 60 is readilyignitable by and in operative communication with the fuse 62.

One of the benefits of the toy vehicle 10 of the present invention is,in addition to its relatively inexpensive construction, its ease of use.The rocket motor 18 is inserted into the chamber 34. When fullyinserted, the casings 52 of the thruster units pass through the opening32 and are partially received in the chamber 34, so that the closed end56 of each of the thruster units 46 and 48 lies in engagement with thestop member 36 of the vehicle body 12. In this fully inserted condition,illustrated in FIG. 1, the discharge outlets of each of the thrusterunits 46 and 48 of the rocket motor 18, and the coupling member 50,extend rearwardly from the opening 32. The discharge outlets 58 arelocated rearwardly of the vehicle body 12 to provide clearance for theexhaust gases upon igniting the propellant charge 60, thereby avoidingsingeing or burning of the vehicle body 12. Moreover, the couplingmember 50 inhibits any further entry of the thruster units into thechamber 34 to provide additional assurance that the discharge outletswill be properly positioned.

The toy vehicle is then placed on the supporting surface. The fuse 62 isthen lit, and as the burning fuse reaches the discharge outlets 58 ofeach of the side-by-side thruster units 46 and 48 ignite substantiallysimultaneously because the fuse 62 enters the passage substantially atthe center and then, because the fuse is oriented to one side and thenback to the other, the burning of the fuse 62 splits into two directionsto reach each of the discharge outlets 58, and thus the propellantcharge 60 for each thruster unit 46 and 48, at substantially the sametime. This provides for substantially simultaneous side-by-sidethrusting of each of the thruster units so that the toy vehicle 10 isthereby propelled in the desired forward direction, rather thanexperiencing significant thrust moment off the centerline longitudinalaxis A of the vehicle. Even if only one of the thruster units 46 and 48successfully ignites, the toy vehicle is still propelled, and mostpreferably the inclusion of the whistle effect as part of the propellantcharge provides an entertaining audible whistle as the propellant chargeburns. The arrangement of the thruster units in side-by-siderelationship permits the thrust to remain substantially along thecenterline, to provide inexpensive substantially simultaneous ignitionof the thruster units, and to minimize the amount of propellant chargein either thruster unit while obtaining sufficient propulsion power toprovide amusement. All of these factors contribute to greater enjoymentto the user in an economical toy vehicle. When the guide wheels 40 areprovided as shown in the preferred embodiment, the guide wheels 40 helpto turn the toy vehicle 10 should it impact an object during its travel,thereby reducing damage. Reuse of the toy vehicle 10 is therebyeconomically provided by simply pulling the exhausted rocket motor 18after use, and substituting a new rocket motor 18. This may be readilydone because no tools are necessary to pull the exhausted motor from thechamber 34 and insert a new rocket motor in its place, although tongs orthe like may be employed to replace hot rocket motors 18 immediatelyafter use. The close, snug fitting of the rocket motor in the chamber 34further helps to maintain the direction of the thrust, as does thenozzle openings in the coupling member 50. The rocket motor 18 is thusdesigned to be relatively inexpensive, easy to ignite, and readilyreplaceable to provide economy of use.

Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, itis to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only,and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scopeof the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplaryembodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine ofEquivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of hisinvention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from butoutside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the followingclaims.

1. A rocket powered toy vehicle comprising: a vehicle body presenting aforward end and a rearward end, the body including structure defining anopening at the rearward end and a chamber extending forwardly from theopening; a multiplicity of road wheels mounted to the body for rotationfor permitting rolling of the body atop a supporting surface; and asolid-fuel rocket motor mounted in said chamber, said rocket motorincluding a plurality of ignitably interconnected side-by-side thrusterunits each having a separate casing and propellant charge, and whereinthe combined propellant charge of the thruster units is less than 500grams.
 2. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe vehicle body has a longitudinal axis, the road wheels being coupledto the body for rolling in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axisof the body, and the structure defining the chamber includes a stopmember positioned at the forward end of the chamber, and wherein therocket motor and chamber are complementally configured such that whenthe rocket motor is inserted into the chamber in engagement with saidstop member, the rocket motor is oriented along the longitudinal axisand inhibited from substantial movement in a direction transverse to thelongitudinal axis by the structure defining the chamber.
 3. A rocketpowered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein the rocket motorincluding a coupling member for connecting the plurality of thrusterunits in side-by-side orientation, the coupling member being locatedrearwardly ofthe opening when the rocket motor is in engagement withsaid stop member.
 4. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim3, further including an ignitable fuse, the coupling member including ahole for passage of said fuse therethrough.
 5. A rocket powered toyvehicle as set forth in claim 4, wherein the fuse is carried by thecoupling member such that the fuse is positioned for igniting thepropellant charge of each of the plurality of thruster units.
 6. Arocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein the thrustercasings are elongated and include a closed end and a discharge outletgenerally opposite to the closed end, and wherein the coupling memberincludes a plurality of nozzle openings, each of the plurality of nozzleopenings being positioned in alignment with a respective one of thedischarge outlets for directing combustion gasses rearwardly of thevehicle body.
 7. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 6,wherein the coupling member nozzles are positioned rearwardly of thevehicle body when the rocket motor is mounted in the chamber with thethruster units in engagement with said stop member.
 8. A rocket poweredtoy vehicle as set forth in claim 7, wherein the coupling member isadhesively connected to the thruster units.
 9. A rocket powered toyvehicle as set forth in claim 8, wherein the coupling member is moldedof synthetic resin.
 10. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth inclaim 7, wherein said fuse is a single elongated combustible fuse whichextends between the nozzle openings of the coupling member and eachdischarge outlet of the thruster units.
 11. A rocket powered toy vehicleas set forth in claim 3, said rocket motor being removably received insaid toy vehicle whereby upon completed combustion of the propellantcharge, the rocket motor may be removed without the use of tools andreplaced by another rocket motor.
 12. A rocket powered toy vehicle asset forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle body includes a plurality ofguide wheels rotatably carried by the vehicle body, each of said guidewheels being rotatable about an upright axis and when said toy vehicleis positioned atop a supporting surface.
 13. A rocket powered toyvehicle as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least a part of each ofsaid guide wheels is positioned laterally outboard of the vehicle body.14. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 13, wherein afirst plurality of said guide wheels include a portion thereof extendingforwardly of the vehicle body, and wherein a second plurality of saidguide wheels include a portion thereof extending rearwardly of thevehicle body.
 15. A rocket powered toy vehicle as set forth in claim 1,wherein the propellant charge of the thruster units includes a whistleeffect such that an audible whistle is generated during ignition of thepropellant charge.